Dance teacher vs choreographer

The differences between dance teachers and choreographers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a dance teacher, becoming a choreographer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a choreographer has an average salary of $60,957, which is higher than the $47,909 average annual salary of a dance teacher.

The top three skills for a dance teacher include hip hop dance, role model and front desk. The most important skills for a choreographer are stage presence, musical theater, and dance classes.

Dance teacher vs choreographer overview

	Dance Teacher	Choreographer
Yearly salary	$47,909	$60,957
Hourly rate	$23.03	$29.31
Growth rate	12%	27%
Number of jobs	71,355	496
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	43	27
Years of experience	2	4

Dance teacher vs choreographer salary

Dance teachers and choreographers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Dance Teacher	Choreographer
Average salary	$47,909	$60,957
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $71,000	Between $32,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Hoboken, NJ
Highest paying state	New York	Alaska
Best paying company	The American Musical and Dramatic Academy	Louisville Ballet
Best paying industry	Hospitality	-

Differences between dance teacher and choreographer education

There are a few differences between a dance teacher and a choreographer in terms of educational background:

	Dance Teacher	Choreographer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Dance	Dance
Most common college	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	Duke University

Dance teacher vs choreographer demographics

Here are the differences between dance teachers' and choreographers' demographics:

	Dance Teacher	Choreographer
Average age	43	27
Gender ratio	Male, 14.1% Female, 85.9%	Male, 24.0% Female, 76.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.8% Asian, 6.0% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 5.5% Unknown, 10.7% Hispanic or Latino, 29.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 44.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	12%	24%

Differences between dance teacher and choreographer duties and responsibilities

Dance teacher example responsibilities.

Lead sports activities and work with younger kids as they create different craft projects.
Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
Choreograph dance pieces for the children and organize performance details (costumes, rehearsals, parent communication) for company concerts.
Create and run up-to-date and relevant drills.
Credit in first aid and CPR training.
Plan various student activities and run sports programs.

Choreographer example responsibilities.

Start up and manage social media; Facebook, Instagram.
Perform as lead dancer in semi-annual mainstage concerts.
Perform in mainstage, blackbox and academic productions.
Perform in script shows including children's theater, choreograph stage combat, and choreograph dance performances.
Create, execute and perform an original musical production: including plot, music, costumes, choreography and staging
Design culturally authentic costumes for performances.

Dance teacher vs choreographer skills

Common dance teacher skills

Hip Hop Dance, 17%
Role Model, 8%
Front Desk, 6%
Musical Theater, 6%
Dance Program, 5%
Dance Studio, 5%

Common choreographer skills

Stage Presence, 29%
Musical Theater, 15%
Dance Classes, 10%
Dance Routines, 8%
JR, 4%
Hip Hop, 4%

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Dance Teacher vs Choreographer

Updated January 8, 2025

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